24 Weeks

Nov 17, 2009

Between twenty-four and twenty-eight weeks, every pregnant woman receives a glucose screening test for gestational diabetes. That's when an insulin malfunction causes a cascade of problems that mean that your excess sugar (even if you don't eat that much of it) freely passes through the placenta to the fetus. The blood vessels that go to the placenta may get inflamed, depriving your baby of oxygen and vital nutrients.

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Meanwhile, the baby produces extra insulin and gains weight too quickly. He becomes prone to storing fat as he gets older, can develop delays in language development, and tends to develop dangerously low blood sugar immediately after birth. If you have gestational diabetes, your ob/gyn may want to deliver a bit earlier than your due date if the baby is getting too big. The problem: lung development may not be complete.

And don't worry about the screening test; the syrupy drink isn't as awful as the rumors purport it to be. It helps if it's chilled!

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